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Soliciting Multiversity: Image’s Top 10 For July 2017

By | April 26th, 2017
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It’s that time again! That time of the month where we trawl through lists of upcoming comics just to pick out our 10 picks that we’re most looking forward to. Today, we’re looking into the future to see what Image Comics has in store for us in July 2017 and, boy, there’s some really interesting picks in this one.

Read on below for what we think are the 10 most exciting comics featured in Image’s July 2017 solicits!

10. It’s No “Old City Blues” Volume 3, But I’ll Take It

Giannis Milonogiannis is one of my favourite artists right now and it’s not just because his Twitter is a delightful collection of art, ’90s anime and Playstation-era JRPGs. His recent work in “G.I. Joe” has been absolutely stellar and “Old City Blues” is one of my favourite comics of all time.

To see Image put out a collection of Milonogiannis’s artwork and sketches for $20 is just so cool and I cannot wait to get my hands on this.

BALSAMIC: A SKETCHBOOK AND ART COLLECTION HC
STORY / ART / COVER: GIANNIS MILONOGIANNIS
AUGUST 16 / 200 PAGES / FC / M / $19.99

Collecting the best of five years worth of drawings, BALSAMIC is a deep dive into GIANNIS’ (PROPHET, Old City Blues, G.I. Joe) sketchbooks and comics!

9. The Collection You Didn’t Know You Were Waiting For

As chance would have it (or maybe providence?), our own Mark Tweedale wrote about Becky Cloonan’s collection of short comics just yesterday. I remember buying all three of these comics from her at HeroesCon in 2012 just as she was releasing “Demeter” and they blew me away. I have been an avid follower of Becky Cloonan’s work ever since I got my hands on these comics.

I can’t wait for this collection to allow people to experience Cloonan’s dark, resonant and wildly imaginative stories. Especially “The Mire” because that shit’s the bomb.

BY CHANCE OR PROVIDENCE TP
STORY / ART / COVER: BECKY CLOONAN
COLORS: LEE LOUGHRIDGE
JULY 26 / 128 PAGES / FC / T+ / $14.99

BY CHANCE OR PROVIDENCE collects BECKY CLOONAN’s award-winning trilogy: WOLVES, THE MIRE, and DEMETER, with lush colors by LEE LOUGHRIDGE and a sketchbook/illustration section. These stories cast a spell of hypnotic melancholy, weaving their way through medieval landscapes of ancient curses and terrible truths that will haunt you long after you’ve set them down.

8. Not To Be Confused With Magic: The Gatheting

So, I’ve never read “Mage.” I am, however, familiar with the living legend that is Matt Wagner (“Batman & The Monster Men” and “Batman & The Mad Monk” are must reads) and I know people who are near rabidly excited to get their hands on the conclusion to “Mage.”

I’m excited to get my hands on this and the reprint of Wagner’s earlier “Mage” work that’s also solicited for July likely in anticipation of #1 of “The Hero Denied” dropping in August.

MAGE: THE HERO DENIED #0
STORY / ART / COVER: MATT WAGNER
JULY 12 / 16 PAGES / FC / T+ / $

MATT WAGNER returns with the third and final volume of his epic fantasy trilogy—MAGE: THE HERO DENIED. This long-awaited conclusion follows the adventures of the reluctant everyman hero Kevin Matchstick, who, after encountering a shaggy and beguiling wizard, discovers he is the reincarnation of the legendary Pendragon and able to wield the power of the mystical weapon, Excalibur. The story picks up several years after the fateful climax of THE HERO DEFINED and finds Kevin beginning to once again doubt the virtue of his actions and the course of his destiny. This introductory, half-sized issue #0 continues MAGE’s tradition of an “Interlude” short-adventure, bridging the gap between this series and the previous storyline. It also acts as a perfect jumping-on spot for new readers.

7. Jason Aaron: Secret Origins

“The Other Side” is almost like a lost piece of history at this point. It was my first exposure to the works of Jason Aaron and Cameron Stewart, two of my favourite current creators, and one of the first comic book scripts I ever read thanks to the internet. Before reading it I was pretty sure Vietnam stories had been done to death and wasn’t sure how much I’d even care, but as you might imagine from their current work, Aaron and Stewart were able to fill the story with lots of emotion and heart thanks to a focus on interesting, dynamic characters.

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I am very excited for people to be able to get their hands on this comic because it’s an astounding look at the early work of some fantastic creators.

THE OTHER SIDE SPECIAL EDITION HC
STORY: JASON AARON
ART / COVER: CAMERON STEWART
JULY 26 / 144 PAGES / FC / M / $19.99

THE OTHER SIDE SPECIAL EDITION is a hardcover collection of the Eisner-Award nominated miniseries that started it all for writer JASON AARON (SOUTHERN BASTARDS, THE GODDAMNED, Scalped)! With amazingly visceral artwork from CAMERON STEWART (MOTOR CRUSH, Fight Club 2) and vivid colors from DAVE McCAIG (American Vampire), THE OTHER SIDE tells an unforgettable Vietnam War story from the point of view of two young soldiers on both sides of the conflict. THE OTHER SIDE SPECIAL EDITION will not only showcase this powerful war story but also include loads of extra materials straight from the files of both writer and artist. CAMERON STEWART was so committed to this project that he traveled to Vietnam to do preliminary research, and this collection will feature pictures, drawings, and journal entries from that trip. Collects THE OTHER SIDE #1-5

6. Not To Be Confused With Liquid Or Gaseous State

Despite being a massive Internet presence in the later 2000’s (I mean, did anyone not hear that Portal song about a million times?), it seems like Jonathan Coulton pretty much dropped off the map for a while there. I mean, it’s been six years since his last album and four since his “Code Monkey Save The World” Kickstarter with Greg Pak.

It’s exciting to see him reemerge on the scene with a new album and a companion graphic novel co-written by none other than Matt Fraction! What’s he been up to? This is sounding pretty cool.

SOLID STATE TP
STORY: JONATHAN COULTON, MATT FRACTION
ART / COVER: ALBERT MONTEYS
JULY 26 / 128 PAGES / FC / T / $19.99

From musician, singer-songwriter, and internet superstar JONATHAN COULTON comes the graphic novel accompaniment (in square-bound, 10″ x 10″ format) to his new concept album, SOLID STATE. Two guys, connected by a name and hundreds of years, somehow stand at the end of man’s beginning, and the beginning of man’s end. But…it’s funny? Also kind of a nightmare. But mostly funny? A funny science FACTion nightmare about the end of everything, but how that’s all kind of okay. Teaming up with MATT FRACTION, the writer of SEX CRIMINALS, CASANOVA, and ODY-C; and the award-winning Spanish artist of Universe! ALBERT MONTEYS, COULTON’s SOLID STATE is a tech mashup where 2001: A Space Odyssey meets Office Space and getting all we ever wanted might just be a terrible idea.

5. RIP In Peace, “Shutter”

It’s like three months out and I’m already preparing myself for the devastating loss that is the final issue of “Shutter.” This has been one of my favourite comics ever since I first got my hands on it for an advance review right here on Multiversity. It was wild, it was goofy, it was imaginative, it was full of heart and emotion and fully realised characters.

It was a world unlike any other and a story unlike any other and has made me a dedicated fan of both Joe Keatinge and Leila Del Duca. I’m gonna miss this comic.

SHUTTER #30
STORY: JOE KEATINGE
ART / COVER: LEILA DEL DUCA, OWEN GIENI
JULY 26 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99

SERIES FINALE “CODA OBSCURA, PART TWO: SAUDADE” Thirty years later. One last adventure. One final goodbye. KEATINGE and DEL DUCA wrap up their long-running, critically acclaimed series by uncovering the mystery Kate Kristopher has searched for since the very beginning.

4. X + 66 = Y, If X=Hype Solve For Y

Something you don’t often see from creator owned comics is a spinoff story like this. Often creator owned comics are fairly linear narrative or the change in narrative perspective is built into the series in a story arc. Here, Greg Rucka is sharing co-writing credits with “Lazarus” designer Eric Trautmann, which is awesome in and of itself, but then you hit the next line of the solicit and Steve Lieber is illustrating it.

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Even if you weren’t already reading “Lazarus,” I’d be recommending this because that’s an awesome collection of creators.

LAZARUS: X+66 #1 (OF 6)
STORY: GREG RUCKA & ERIC TRAUTMANN
ART: STEVE LIEBER
COVER: MICHAEL LARK
JULY 19 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99

In the wake of “CULL” and setting the stage for “FRACTURE,” the sixth storyline of the critically acclaimed LAZARUS, this series takes us into the year +66 with six separate stories. Casey Solomon has caught the eye of the Lazarus, but gaining the Family’s attention can be as much a curse as a blessing. Will Dagger Selection destroy Casey, or will survival mean something worse?

3. An Interesting, If Familiar Premise

There’s something about the idea of Klaus Janson writing a comic that kind of has me on board regardless of the fact that I feel like I’ve read this solicit text hundreds of times doing this column. It’s something that rears its head almost every month: the urban fantasy comic that’s dark and full of twists and conspiracies centred around one unlucky dude who’s probably an antisocial loner and a hard drinker.

I want to not care about this comics, but… Klaus Janson is co-writing it. Damn.

SACRED CREATURES #1
STORY: KLAUS JANSON, PABLO RAIMONDI
ART / COVER: PABLO RAIMONDI
VARIANT COVER: FRANK MILLER, KLAUS JANSON
JULY 05 / 72 PAGES / FC / M / $4.99

When the supernatural forces maintaining the fragile balance of power in this world start to unravel, Josh Miller, a young college grad and expecting father, is caught in the middle of a vast conspiracy threatening to tear apart the foundations of humanity as we know it. As myth and reality collide, Josh finds himself on the frontline of a battle against an enemy dating back to the beginning of time itself. Comic legends KLAUS JANSON (Daredevil, Dark Knight Returns) and PABLO RAIMONDI (X-Factor, Book of Doom) proudly present SACRED CREATURES, their first-ever creator-owned series, with a monster-sized first issue featuring 66 pages of color art!

2. Generation Going Once… Going Twice… Gone

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a comic by Ales Kot which is a shame because I’m a huge fan of his writing. Thankfully, July heralds the beginning of “Generation Gone,” his collaboration with stellar artist Andre Lima Araujo.

I am so hype for this comic that I’ve surprised even myself by not putting it in the top spot. Any other month, it would have reigned supreme and I’d be singing its praises until July. However…

GENERATION GONE #1
STORY: ALES KOT, ANDRÉ LIMA ARAÚJO
ART / COVER: ANDRÉ LIMA ARAÚJO, CHRIS O’HALLORAN
JULY 19 / 56 PAGES / FC / M / $4.99

America, 2020. Three young hackers with nothing to lose. A secretive scientist with a plan. One final job. What happens when you’re poor, angry, and get superpowers you never asked for? Skins + Unbreakable = GENERATION GONE, sort of— if you also include multiple trips to the sun, weird black goo, a breakup fight inside a nuclear factory, love, hate, anger, loss…and survival. GENERATION GONE is for every kid struggling out there. It’s about what it means to be young in the USA, 2017.

1. Now, This Is Creator Owned

Going through Image Comics’ solicits every month is like traversing the DVD collection of that one guy you know who’s furious at everyone who’s never seen The Wire. Nearly every comic is a collection of four to five male creators. Nearly every comic is about an antisocial, alcoholic male lead who is furious about his own masculinity and his forceful sexuality. Nearly every comic is either a crime drama or a supernatural thriller or some weird combination of both. It’s just so very tiring.

Then came “Moonstruck.” For the first time in I don’t know how long, Image is promoting an actual all ages story. Image Comics is publishing a comic that anyone could read. For so long they’ve been the home of explicit, “mature” comics. And it looks adorable.

If Image wants to continue to claim that they’re pushing boundaries, they need to stop only marketing to people who think all comics should read like “Alias” and take chances on actually original material like this.

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MOONSTRUCK #1
STORY: GRACE ELLIS
ART: KATE LETH, SHAE BEAGLE
COVER: SHAE BEAGLE
JULY 19 / 32 PAGES / FC / E / $3.99

A NEW ONGOING SERIES from Lumberjanes creator GRACE ELLIS and talented newcomer SHAE BEAGLE that tells a story of monsters, romance, and magical hijinks! The first arc also includes an additional short story with artist KATE LETH! Fantasy creatures are living typical, unremarkable lives alongside humans, and barista Julie strives to be the most unremarkable of all. Normal job, normal almost-girlfriend, normal…werewolf transformations that happen when she gets upset? Yikes! But all bets are off when she and her centaur best friend Chet find themselves in the middle of a magical conspiracy. Will Julie and Chet be able to save their friends? Is Julie’s dogged determination to be normal a lost cause? Who’s going to watch the coffee shop while our heroes are out saving the world?? These questions and more will be answered in MOONSTRUCK, coming July 19 from Image Comics.

As always, the full collection of Image Comics’ July 2017 solicitations can be found on their website.


//TAGS | Soliciting Multiversity

Alice W. Castle

Sworn to protect a world that hates and fears her, Alice W. Castle is a trans femme writing about comics. All things considered, it’s going surprisingly well. Ask her about the unproduced Superman films of 1990 - 2006. She can be found on various corners of the internet, but most frequently on Twitter: @alicewcastle

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